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is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan and is about a 30-minute train ride from Shinjuku or Ikebukuro in Tokyo.
As of January 12006, the city has an estimated population of 332,846 (130,436 households) and a population density of approximately 3,049 persons per km². The total area is 109.16 km².
The city was founded on December 11922. It was the first city in the prefecture.

Contents

Geography

Transportation

Railways

External links

Geography

As a part of the Greater Tokyo Area this is one of the satellite cities of Tokyo but it is also the governmental, commercial and business centre of the southwestern (geographically it is central, but the administration and the public classify it as southwestern) Saitama Prefecture. It is a core city (中核市) and a business core city () designated by Japanese national government. Before it is merged to Saitama Prefecture in 1873, it was the capital of Kawagoe Prefecture (1871) then Iruma Prefecture (1871-1873.) ^[1]
The city is known locally as "Little Edo", or Koedo (小江戸), after the old name for Tokyo, "Edo". Some streets of it preserve the old castle (Kawagoe castle, which was housed by close aides of the Tokugawa shogunate was demolished around 1870s^[2]) town in the feudal Edo period. Prominent sites in Kawagoe include the bell tower as seen in the picture to the right. The bell tower serves as the symbol for Koedo and rings three times a day. Other sites include the 500 statues of Rakan and Kitain Temple, the gathering-spot for New Year celebrations. As it approaches midnight on December 31, waits of nearly three hours are commonplace at the temple.
Kawagoe is famous for its sweet potatoes, and on the local "Candy Street" one can find such treats as sweet potato chips, sweet potato ice cream, sweet potato coffee, and even sweet potato beer, brewed at the local Koedo Brewery.

Transportation

Railways

★ Main station: Kawagoe Station

★ Tōbu Tōjō Main Line:

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★ Kasumigaseki Station, Kawagoeshi Station, Kawagoe Station, Shingashi Station

★ JR East Kawagoe Line:

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★ Kasahata Station, Matoba Station, Nishi-Kawagoe Station, Kawagoe Station, Minami-Furuya Station

★ Seibu Shinjuku Line:

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★ Hon-Kawagoe Station, Minami-Otsuka Station

External links

★ Kawagoe official website in Japanese.

★ Kawagoe City Museum official website in Japanese.

★ Photo of 500 rakans in Japanese.